FROM skydives and car washes to half marathons and bake sales, staff at a Banbury-based company have raised more than £30,000 for charity.

HomeServe – a home emergency repairs business – agreed to match fund its employees' charitable totals, taking the final amount raised across the country to £68,000.

Staff at the firm's offices in Southam Road, Banbury, brought in £2,270 in aid of Katharine House Hospice in Staffordshire with their fundraising drive, which included competitions, events, and dress down days

The hospice provides care services for people faced with an illness that cannot be cured and it works to enable patients and those close to them to live life as fully as possible.

HomeServe engineers based across Oxfordshire also saved up money made from scrap metal to raise £400 in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind.

John Greaves, brand director, at HomeServe, said: "Supporting our local communities is so important to HomeServe.

"Our people regularly volunteer and give their time to help causes close to their heart.

"A year ago, we asked departments across the business to choose a charity to put their fundraising efforts behind and the response has been absolutely phenomenal.

"Our first celebration event was the chance to see first-hand the organisations our people have helped, and it was a really special day."

Staff marked the major fundraising milestone by sharing afternoon tea with a range of charities from across the UK.

Workers from all five of the company’s UK office locations – Banbury, Walsall, Preston, Nottingham and London – joined their charitable partners to hand over the money they raised.

The donations will help fund a range of causes, including £4,737 for new personal life safety equipment for a member of the Midlands Air Ambulance crew, more than £10,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s ‘The Star’ appeal, and a year’s worth of fuel for the Midlands Free Wheelers to enable them to provide emergency blood bikes for the NHS.